Writing Module
Comma Splices
Comma Splices
Lesson Objective
(Revising) Students will correct comma splices using a
comma plus a “FANBOYS” word, or by replacing the comma
with a period and capitalizing the second sentence.
Vocabulary
comma splice: an error in which two independent clauses
are joined by a comma with no connecting word
FANBOYS: a mnemonic tool for remembering the
conjunctions for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
Reviewed
Vocabulary
Instructional
Materials
subject, verb
Teacher
Student
• Teacher Masters
• Student Booklet
• Demonstrate—
FANBOYS Poster
• Practice—Teachers might
choose to create their own
practice worksheet of five
comma splices or provide
a paragraph drawn from
student writing.
• Timer
Teacher Note
This lesson presupposes that students can identify subjects and
verbs in sentences. If your students have also been taught
independent clauses, substitute “independent clause” where the
lesson uses “complete idea” or “complete idea that can stand
alone.”
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Writing Module
Comma Splices
Preview
Authors use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar to
help readers understand their writing quickly and easily.
When a writer makes mistakes in these areas, readers may have
difficulty understanding the ideas the writer is trying to
express. Publishing companies hire editors to help correct an
author’s mistakes. Today’s lesson will help you be the editor
by teaching you how to correct a certain type of error called a
comma splice.
Engage Prior/Informal Knowledge
1. Students complete a silent warm-up to review subjects and verbs.
Display TM#1: Engage Prior Knowledge—Subject and Verb
Warm-Up. Direct students’ attention to their copies, SB#1:
Engage Prior Knowledge—Subject and Verb Warm-Up.
Look at the silent warm-up. You are going to underline the
subject once and the main verb twice in each of the sentences
in Part 1 of the warm-up. You have 3 minutes.
Set the timer for 3 minutes. Circulate among the students, check for
understanding, and provide corrective feedback as needed.
2. Review student responses.
Display Part 1 of TM#1: Engage Prior Knowledge—Subject and Verb
Warm-Up. When 3 minutes have passed, ask for one student volunteer
to share his or her work on each item. Record correct responses on the
display, and have students make corrections or additions to their papers.
Refer to TM#2: Engage Prior Knowledge—Subject and Verb Warm-up
Answer Key as needed.
Demonstrate
1. Show how sentences can be combined using a comma and a FANBOYS
conjunction.
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Comma Splices
Display Part 2 of TM#1: Engage Prior Knowledge—Subject and Verb
Warm-Up. Direct students’ attention to their copies, SB#1: Engage
Prior Knowledge—Subject and Verb Warm-Up.
Each of the items in Part 1 of the warm-up was a complete
sentence. Each had a subject and verb, and was a complete idea
that could stand alone.
Sophisticated writing includes longer sentences that contain
many ideas. You can improve your writing by learning to
combine shorter ideas into longer sentences, but you must
follow the rules of grammar.
Look at Part 2 of the warm-up, at the bottom of the page.
Pairs of the complete ideas from Part 1 have been combined
into single sentences. Each of the sentences in Part 2 uses a
comma and a connecting word to join the sentences.
Point to the sentences in Part 1 as you explain.
For example, the first sentence at the top was, “I live in Central
Texas,” and the second sentences was, “I can’t go to the beach
very often.”
Point to the combined sentences in Part 2.
At the bottom, those two sentences are combined using a
comma and the word so to make one sentence: “I live in
Central Texas, so I can’t go to the beach very often.” Circle the
comma and the word so.
Point to the sentences in Part 1 as you explain.
The third sentence at the top was, “My cousins live near the
ocean in a small town in New Jersey,” and the fourth sentence
was, “A beautiful beach is right near their house.”
Point to the combined sentences in Part 2.
At the bottom, those two sentences are combined using a
comma and the word and to make one sentence.
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Comma Splices
Repeat for sentences 5–10 of Part 2.
2. Introduce the FANBOYS mnemonic.
Display TM#3: Demonstrate—FANBOYS Poster.
Teacher Note
For and yet can be confusing for students, because they less commonly
appear as conjunctions. Because some students may not think of for and
yet as conjunctions, consider providing additional instruction and
practice with these words, if needed.
When you join two complete ideas into one sentence, you need
to use a connection. One type of connection is a comma plus a
FANBOYS conjunction. FANBOYS is a tool for remembering
seven conjunctions: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So.
Call on students to say what each letter stands for.
Look at the poster only if you need to. What does N stand for?
(nor) What does Y stand for? (yet) What does F stand for? (for).
Continue until all words are reviewed.
Part 2 of the warm-up shows how a comma and a FANBOYS
conjunction join two ideas.
Again, display Part 2 of TM#1: Engage Prior Knowledge—Subject and
Verb Warm-Up and redirect students’ attention to their copies, SB#1:
Engage Prior Knowledge—Subject and Verb Warm-Up. Have students
identify the connecting words they circled in each sentence, and point
out that they are all FANBOYS words. Refer to TM#2: Engage Prior
Knowledge—Subject and Verb Warm-up Answer Key as needed.
3. Define comma splice, and demonstrate using a comma plus a FANBOYS
word to join complete ideas.
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Writing Module
Comma Splices
Each of the sentences in the warm-up had two complete ideas,
each with a subject and a verb. Each complete idea can stand
on its own. Therefore, it is not enough to join them with just a
comma. An error in which two complete ideas are joined with
a comma and no connecting word is called a comma splice.
Display TM#4: Demonstrate and Practice—Fixing Comma Splices.
Direct students’ attention to their copies, SB#2: Demonstrate and
Practice—Fixing Comma Splices.
The sentences in numbers 1–6 on this page are all comma
splices. They are incorrect, and you must correct them.
In order to join two complete ideas that can stand alone, you
must use a connection.
Look at the first sentence. “Salsas are an important part of
Mexican cooking” is a complete idea that can stand on its own.
It makes sense and has a subject—salsas—and a verb—are.
The second part is, “most Mexican foods are eaten with some
kind of salsa.” That is also a complete idea and can stand on its
own. So just using a comma to join them is not enough. We
can add a FANBOYS word. I’m going to use the word “and.”
After I choose a FANBOYS word, I want to make sure it makes
sense. “Salsas are an important part of Mexican cooking, and
most Mexican foods are eaten with some kind of salsa” makes
sense, so I will write it down.
Add the word “and” after the comma. Direct students to write the same
on their copies.
4. Demonstrate using a period and a capital letter to correct a comma
splice.
Another way to connect two complete ideas that stand alone is
by changing the comma to a period and capitalizing the first
letter of the second sentence.
Look at the fourth sentence. “One type of brown salsa is called
mole” is a complete idea that can stand on its own. It makes
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Comma Splices
sense and has a subject—salsa—and a verb—is. The second
part is, “mole is not made with brown tomatoes!” That is also
a complete idea and can stand on its own. So just using a
comma to join them is not enough. In the previous example,
we added a word from FANBOYS to make a grammatically
correct sentence. But we can also make two grammatically
correct sentences by adding a period and capitalizing the word
“mole.”
Add the period and capitalize the word “mole.” Direct students to do the
same on their copies.
Teacher Note
Depending on the level of your students, you may choose to teach the
use of semicolons in addition to teaching usage of a comma plus a
FANBOYS word.
Practice
1. Practice correcting comma splice errors with whole-class input. Refer to
TM#5: Demonstrate and Practice—Fixing Comma Splices Answer Key
as needed.
Display TM#4: Demonstrate and Practice—Fixing Comma Splices.
Direct students’ attention to their copies, SB#2: Demonstrate and
Practice—Fixing Comma Splices.
Complete numbers 2 and 3. Read each part, and ask students whether or
not it is a complete idea that can stand on its own. Then, point out that
a comma is not enough to join the parts together and that they must add
a FANBOYS word. Ask students to provide a FANBOYS word that
could be added to correct the error. Remind students to read the
sentence again with the FANBOYS word to make sure it makes sense.
Record student responses on the display, and have students make
corrections on their own papers.
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Comma Splices
Watch
For
Students might be confused by the list with
commas in number 3. For example, they might
think that there are comma splice errors in the
list. Explain that commas have many different
roles and that in that case, they are used to
separate a list of items.
Next, complete numbers 5 and 6. Read each part, and ask students
whether or not it is a complete idea that can stand on its own. Then,
point out that a comma is not enough to join the parts together and that
they must make this example into two complete ideas or sentences. Ask
students to explain where the period would go and what they must do to
correct the second sentence (capitalize the first word). Record student
responses on the display, and have students make corrections on their
own papers.
2. Students work in pairs to correct the comma splices in the paragraph at
the bottom of SB#2: Demonstrate and Practice—Fixing Comma Splices.
Remind students that not all sentences will contain comma splices and
that they must check to make sure the FANBOYS word they choose
makes sense by rereading the sentence. Have students restate the
instructions, and check for understanding. Set the timer for 8 minutes.
Circulate among the students, check for understanding, and provide
corrective feedback as needed.
3. Review student responses.
When 8 minutes have passed, ask for volunteers to share their responses.
Have students make corrections or additions to their own papers. Refer
to the TM#5: Demonstrate and Practice—Fixing Comma Splices Answer
Key as needed.
Choosing whether to correct a comma splice by creating two
sentences or combining two sentences with a comma and a
FANBOYS word is the choice of the writer. An important part
of writing is creating varied sentences with different lengths.
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Comma Splices
Teacher Note
In addition to this partner practice, or as an alternative option, teachers
may choose to use a sample paragraph from a student essay to edit for
comma splices.
Independent Practice
1. Have students complete SB#3: Independent Practice.
2. Collect the materials, score the work using TM#6: Independent Practice
Answer Key, and check for mastery.
Teacher Note
Extend this lesson by having students apply taught concepts to their own
writing. Once this skill is introduced, teachers should refer back to it
(and call attention to the FANBOYS Poster) frequently.
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